Wales fly-half Dan Edwards has signed a new deal with Ospreys.
The 22-year-old, who started all four of Wales’ autumn internationals, had been linked with Leicester, but he has opted to stay with Mark Jones’ side.
Uncertainty in Welsh professional rugby led to Wales captains Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan announcing summer exits from Ospreys to Gloucester.
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) plan to cut from four men’s clubs to three – one in Cardiff, one in the east and one in the west.
Nonetheless, Edwards has followed wing Keelan Giles, flanker Harri Deaves and number eight Morgan Morse – also all Wales caps – in agreeing fresh terms at Ospreys, with the club not disclosing the length of the new contract.
Ospreys’ squad have rallied despite fears over their futures to make a perfect start in the Challenge Cup and be in the mix for the United Rugby Championship (URC) play-offs.
“When you have players like him that want to sign a new deal, despite some trying times in Welsh rugby, it speaks volumes about what the club means to the people that are from here,” said head coach Jones.
“We see Dan as an instrumental figure for us over the coming seasons. His ability to block out the noise, quarterback our play and his decisiveness as a ball carrier have all been catalytic to us evolving our attack and scoring more tries over the last 12 months.
“His rugby IQ and his dedication to improving are both second to none and we see him being a player that will continue to thrive on both the club and international stage for many years to come.
“Dan is one of many boys from our region that we have helped develop into incredible players and people, and as a club we will always continue to place a high importance on that.”
Edwards would have been ineligible for Wales had he left to play in England because he has only played seven Tests.
The current WRU selection policy deems that individuals who sign for clubs outside Wales must have 25 caps to continue playing for their country.
Edwards, who started out at Cwmafan RFC, is poised to pull the strings for Steve Tandy’s side in the Six Nations after committing to Ospreys.
“Like a lot of the boys here, I grew up supporting this club and it was always a dream for me to pull on the black jersey,” said the fly-half, who will make his 43rd appearance for the club at Zebre in the Challenge Cup on .
“There’s a quality group of boys here. We’ve got a young core that play above their years and some experienced boys that bring it all together for us.
“We’ve shown that when we’re on our game, we can go toe-to-toe with anyone on our day.
“The staff and players here all want the Ospreys to be back where we should be, competing with the top teams and challenging for silverware. So if I can play a part in that, that is something that I will strive to do.”
Nonetheless, Ospreys’ future remains uncertain amid rumours that owners Y11 Sports and Media are in talks to buy WRU-owned Cardiff.
Such a move would help the governing body – who will honour existing contracts and also guarantee new contracts signed by players of national interest – reduce to their desired three professional men’s clubs.
